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The 2009 Porsche Cayenne is comfortable, with reasonable cargo room and outstanding build quality and materials. The biggest problem reviewers found with the luxury SUV is that it's so fully loaded and so fancy that it could take some time for drivers to familiarize themselves with the controls' placement and available features.

"The Cayenne's interior provides what one expects of a traditional SUV: lots of room for outboard passengers, a high seating position with a commanding view of the road and a generous cargo bay that can hold a little more than 19 cubic feet of cargo with the rear seats up (even more with the rear seats folded forward)." -- Forbes

Porsche Cayenne Pictures

Seating

The Porsche Cayenne's seating for five is luxurious. Reviewers liked the SUV's supple leather material and also praised the cushions' lateral support. Several others highlighted the roomy area for three passengers in the rear row.

"Front seats are large and well-bolstered for lively driving. The center of the back seat is too stiff for comfort, but there's a fold down center armrest with cupholders." -- MSN

"Thanks to very long rear doors, access to the roomy rear seat is ample. Front seats are comfortable, very supportive in the bends, and highly adjustable. Carpet, headliner and pillar trim materials are all top-shelf." -- Forbes

Interior Features

The Cayenne comes with standard features including a 12-speaker CD player, leather seats and a three-spoke multifunction steering wheel. The higher trims have automatic climate control, Bose surround sound audio system and an automatically heated steering wheel. Testers found the Cayenne is laid out in typical Porsche opulence. But some worried the buttons and features could be overwhelming to a first-time Porsche owner.

"Five silver-edged dials in an attractive overlapping motif succinctly convey critical information on the dash. The tach runs to 8,000 rpm, the speedometer has a maximum reading of 180 mph, and there's a handy turbo boost gauge at the far right position." -- Forbes

"In proper Porsche fashion, the ignition lock is placed to the left of the steering column, while the instrument faces have the no-nonsense look of a sports model." -- Kelley Blue Book

Cargo

Reviews were generally positive regarding the space and convenience of the 2009 Porsche Cayenne's trunk. The SUV offers approximately 19.1 cubic feet of cargo space and a total load capacity of 1,731 pounds in the base model (with manual transmission), 1,841 pounds in the Cayenne S and up to 1,598 pounds in the Cayenne Turbo. Folding the rear seats expands total cargo space to as much as 62.5 cubic feet.

"The spacious cargo area can be made even roomier by folding the rear seats entirely forward. A standard power hatch moves up and down fairly quickly." -- MSN

"With rear seats up, the Cayenne accommodates a substantial 19 cubic feet of cargo, but unlike several other European luxury SUVs there is no third-row option." -- Kelley Blue Book

"Good with rear seat up, but not expansive for an SUV. ... Center-console storage is generous, but there's not much other room for small items." -- Consumer Guide